Ball / Stone Passing Games

These are fun to do to help the students practice steady beat. It can be frustrating, also, because those few students who have trouble staying on the beat can mess up the whole thing.

Things that can help:

Have students sit in a circle
Practice the motions of everyone moving hands to the right, then back (even swaying), keeping in sync with everyone else
Walk around and help students.
Say words like "Pass," "Pick up" and "Right," even singing those words to the tune.
Slow down the tempo.
Only put 1 ball/stone in at the beginning while the rest of the students pretend. Gradually add more balls/stones.

On the songs below, the "X" marks the strong beat, where the students should place the ball/stone on the floor in front of the person to their right. I prefer small stones or bean bags, since they don't roll.

This is a good beginner song. The "T" means every student taps the stone in front of him/herself. The only time the stone is passed to the right is on the "X" on the last word.

Obwasanasah

This one is another good one to start with. It has some of those words in the song, it's short, and everyone can "freeze" at the end. Check and see if everyone is in the same position.

Ball Passing Game - lesson ideas